Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz each qualified for Superpole at Monza, with Lascorz finally placing 13th on the grid and Sykes 14th in readiness for Sunday’s two 18-lap WSBK races.

Lascorz had been fast in his first visit to Monza on a Superbike but could not make the most of his opportunities on qualifying tyres as they caused him to drift wide in the exit of corners, losing valuable time that counted against him in Superpole one.

Sykes had similar issues to deal with, finding good levels of performance on used race tyres but being unable to improve once fresh tyres had been fitted. Now each rider faces a start from the fourth row of the grid, meaning that clean getaways from the line are essential to make up places in the early laps.

Chris Vermeulen will miss Sunday’s races after he fell on Friday and suffered a long and deep gash in his left elbow. Swelling around the elbow has also restricted his movement considerably. After a rest day today and much treatment from the Clinica Mobile staff a decision has been made that Chris will not attempt to race on Sunday.

Pedercini Team Kawasaki riders Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison qualified 18th and 20th respectively.

Joan Lascorz:

“On race tyres were good but on the qualifying tyre we could not go so fast. The bike seems to run wide when we have more grip from the rear tyre. We should have a good race set-up for Sunday and we were fast at some stages this weekend. We need two good starts and then we can make up some places in the chicanes.”

Tom Sykes:

“On used race tyres we can set good lap times and we are looking very strong in those conditions. But for whatever reason we have struggled to set the best lap times on fresh tyres. That got even worse when we used qualifying tyres. I am feeling confident over race distance to get a decent result for the bike and the team, but we will have to see how it goes on Sunday. We maybe need to go back to the drawing board to work it out a bit. We will come out swinging tomorrow and we can still make a good day of it. We just need to get all our ideas together tonight.”

Chris Vermeulen:

“My elbow is the only problem, even though the rest of me is a bit sore after my Friday fall. They say the gash in my elbow needs about six stitches in it and the elbow has swollen up a lot inside. I have been having it drained of fluid a couple of times a day. They say there is nothing majorly wrong with my elbow and it was only a problem because it got stuck under the bike when I crashed. I have been advised not to ride this weekend but the good thing is that my knee feels a lot better and we were reasonably quick after only a few laps.”